


We are the Best Absolute Powers!

by bictory



Category: B.A.P
Genre: Gen, M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2013-08-31
Updated: 2013-08-31
Packaged: 2017-12-28 18:40:13
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 17,061
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/995213
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/bictory/pseuds/bictory
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Moon Jongup. 18 years old. Dance. Busy sorting out love and other teenager worries. And, oh yeah. Saving the world.</p>
            </blockquote>





	We are the Best Absolute Powers!

**Author's Note:**

> **Title:** We are the Best Absolute Powers!  
>  **Pairing:** Jongup/Junhong  
>  **Rating:** PG-13  
>  **Word Count:** 17k  
>  **Summary:** Moon Jongup. 18 years old. Dance. Busy sorting out love and other teenager worries. And, oh yeah. Saving the world.  
>  **A/N:** written for [](http://fearnoworld.livejournal.com/profile)[**fearnoworld**](http://fearnoworld.livejournal.com/) for [](http://thebrowniebunch.livejournal.com/profile)[](http://thebrowniebunch.livejournal.com/)**thebrowniebunch** fic exchange! I combined two prompts and hopefully you like the result ^^

 

  
_Being a superhero is not all it's cracked up to be_ , Jongup thinks as his face is nearly smashed in by a brick. He could blame the bad visibility due to the torrential storm, but the truth is that he had been zoning out completely. To be fair that is quite normal for him, but not quite so during a battle. His fast reflexes save his nose and the brick passes it by a hair’s width. He looks up, wiping his rain-soaked hair from his eyes, refocusing on the beast they are trying to quell.

Ironically, it is the monster’s fault that he was distracted in the first place. Jongup thinks the monster is beautiful in an odd, perverse sort of way. It has ebony-feathered wings reminiscent of a giant raven, a dragon-like neck with glittering black scales that are even more brilliant in the rain, and a majestic head ending in a beak that could slice through the durable town buildings they are fighting amongst.

The town has been built to withstand attacks from a variety of much smaller beasts, but its buildings break apart easily under the crushing force of the giant clawed talons. Jongup has never seen a monster so big, and it fascinates him. The bomb shelters should still be safe from its reach, though, and that’s where all the townspeople have evacuated.

_Daehyun, fall back_ , Yongguk says via his telepathic connection to them all, directing it to the second of the team’s three ground units, and their only weapon-wielder. Jongup has no idea where Daehyun is, but he figures Daehyun has just overextended again. The half-bird, half-dragon monster has gotten dangerously close. It was supposed to be the last ground unit Himchan’s job to keep it at bay. It wouldn’t be good for Daehyun to be in such close range.

Jongup realizes he just got distracted again and considers returning fire when something far more damaging than a brick hurtles towards him.

_Himchan!_ Yongguk’s voice echoes lowly and urgently through his brain as he registers the incoming danger.

Himchan can normally control his density with precision, but he has a tendency to lose control of that when he gets scared. It wouldn't be so bad if his instinct was to turn himself feather-light, but he somehow developed the gut reaction that the way to be safe was to turn himself into a mini-planet. Jongup's thighs tense as he digs his feet into the ground, resisting Himchan's gravitational pull and bracing himself for impact at the same time.

At least, that is what he would have done, but Daehyun rematerializes between them, shooting Jongup a panicked look, having become invisible in the worst possible place. The slick ground probably tripped him up, and there is no way Daehyun can move fast enough out of Himchan's path. Not only do the sharp swords in his hands pose a great threat to both Jongup and Himchan, Daehyun might actually get squished flat by Himchan’s weight on impact. Jongup winces when he sees a very graphic portrayal of squished Daehyun in his head as time fast-forwards, along with the rising feeling of Youngjae’s panic.

Sometimes Youngjae’s death visions do not need to be shared, even if they are informative.

Jongup leaps up and uses his momentum to strike the ground, sending a shockwave that Daehyun uses to bounce himself into the air, narrowly avoiding collision with Himchan. Yongguk cuts off Jongup’s mental connection to Youngjae just as he feels relief replace Youngjae’s panic. At least that means Daehyun’s no longer in mortal danger. As time returns to normal, Jongup doesn't have time to brace himself for impact and Himchan knocks him down.

With Himchan on top of him, he struggles to regain his breath. It's knocked out of him again as Daehyun is pulled into their small cluster by Himchan’s gravity. Jongup doesn’t even have time to react with the second impact, and all of a sudden his body loses its strength. Did his powers just fail? He feels his chest cave in as he can no longer support Himchan’s weight. Is he going to die?

_HIMCHAN_. Yongguk's voice is more forceful than Jongup has ever heard it.

Jongup feels a wave of guilt—Himchan's—wash over him. Himchan is struggling to keep calm long enough to take control of his instincts but it's not working. His gravity is now strong enough to drag in the giant monster they're supposed to be putting down.

Now Jongup isn’t breathing anymore and soon they’re all going to be pancakes if Himchan doesn’t stop pulling the beast in.

They’re saved by an explosion from nowhere that knocks the beast into the air. At that very moment, Himchan decides to regain control over his density, and the three fly backwards from the shock of the explosion.

Jongup still has his ordinary human flexibility and manages to land on his feet. He picks up a rock and crumbles it in his hands. Weird, his power is back. Himchan and Daehyun land a bit less gracefully, but they seem to be okay, picking themselves up, ready for round two with the monster. Daehyun’s figure starts to melt into the rain when Yongguk’s back inside their heads. _It’s gone_.

Judging by the deafening silence in their heads after those terse words, they did not do well. The monster really is gone, and the rain starts to let up.

Yongguk's airship lands beside them, the doors opening to reveal a somber-looking Youngjae. Jongup knows by that look that they've been a disappointment. They're in for it when they get back to headquarters.

_Being a superhero is definitely not all it's cracked up to be_ , Jongup thinks, looking to each of his teammates’ pale, nauseated faces as they ascend into the airship.

 

*

 

From the top of the airship ramp, Jongup turns around to take one last wistful look at the wreckage. The ramp starts to retract, when he sees something stir underneath a pile of rubble. _It could be another stray kitten, trapped without oxygen_ , he thinks, like the one he’d rescued from the last mission. Maybe it’s because he used to be one, but Jongup has a weakness for rescuing helpless creatures. Yongguk wouldn’t mind, he’s the one who instilled those principles in Jongup in the first place. “Wait,” he calls, leaping down from the airship.

He makes his way to the pile of rubble where he thinks he saw movement. The rocks shift again, and Jongup realizes it’s much bigger than a kitten. He quickly clears the pile away. A sudden response shocks him, as a dust-covered human-shaped figure sits up and starts coughing up ashes. What is a human doing here? They all should have hidden away in their bomb shelters when the SOS was sounded. Jongup can tell it’s a boy, maybe even younger than him, even though all Jongup can make of his face is the eyes, standing out white on top of brown-black dirt.

The startled wide eyes meet Jongup’s for a moment and then roll back as the boy they belong to faints. Jongup catches him before his head hits the ground. Again, that is. Jongup’s stomach flips when he sees the egg-sized lump on the boy’s forehead and the blood trickling down his thin neck from another wound hidden underneath the hair, matted with dirt and dried blood.

Jongup squeezes his eyes shut, blood makes him queasy. He pulls the boy completely out of the gravel and slings him over his back. It’s awkward, the kid is too _tall_. His feet drag along the ground.

He rearranges it so that he’s carrying the boy in his arms instead, head propped upright against Jongup’s chest. Jongup needs to get him to Youngjae. Youngjae’s much better at dealing with gore.

 

*

 

“What is it this time?”

Jongup hears Daehyun before he sees him. Daehyun pokes his head out of the cabin as Jongup approaches the ramp again. “Another kit—? Oh.” His Adam’s apple bobs as he swallows and forgets his words for a moment. He blinks and jostles back into motion, disappearing back into the cabin.

Jongup goes through the door a few moments later to find Daehyun gone and Youngjae already at work, pulling out the convertible seats to form a makeshift table with practiced ease.

“Head trauma, but he’s breathing.” Jongup gives his brief diagnosis as Youngjae tugs the table one last time before it gives an audible click.

“Careful,” Youngjae instructs, laying a clean cloth over the table and moving to grab his medical supplies from overhead.

“What’s going on?” The cockpit door slams as Yongguk bursts through, Daehyun and Himchan in tow.

Gingerly, Jongup lays the boy down on the table, watching as his blood paints the white sheet a bright red. Taking one good look, Yongguk’s back in the cockpit. “Strap him in,” he says. “We’re getting him back to base.”

Everybody but Youngjae straps in to their seats. Jongup can only watch Youngjae’s back as he works on stanching the boy’s wounds. Jongup sits on his hands and looks out the window. Their tower, the location of their base, is so tall he can see it from the mission site. It looks imposing overlooking the rest of the buildings of their city.

Jongup watches the tower get closer and tries to think about anything but their failed mission.

 

*

 

Jongup is 5 when he manifests his superhuman strength and is whisked off to the Academy. He spends the majority of his first year alone and missing his parents. He cries a lot, but that's nothing to be ashamed of as a 5 year old, he thinks.

Halfway through his second year, he no longer cries because of his parents, because he only remembers them by the one photograph he owns. Instead, he cries because the other kids hit him but he won’t hit back. He might break them.

One time it hurts too much and he starts crying before he can hide away in his sanctuary among the toilets. A wooden toy block smacks his tormentor's face from out of nowhere, dropping to the floor and leaving a howling mess of a nosebleed and tears.

"Oops, it slipped." A voice so soft only Jongup can hear surprises him out of his crying. He looks back and meets eyes with the scariest kid in his class, a wielder of mind powers classified as “Most Dangerous.” He also happens to be revered as the whiz kid possessing near perfect control over his powers. 10-year-old Yongguk grins widely at Jongup, and suddenly he’s no longer the scariest kid in class. Jongup smiles back. He doesn't cry much more after that.

 

*

 

Jongup admires Yongguk. He was the star student at the Academy, the prodigy with a rare power and an even rarer discipline over it. Mind melding is dangerous, a little slip and the stronger mind may overwhelm the weaker one, yet Yongguk could maintain control over an entire team's worth of connections. With his team-oriented power and excellent grades, there weren't many who were surprised when he was chosen as the youngest leader of the Best Absolute Powers.

All the expectations piled on Yongguk’s shoulders then, naturally fell to the people he would choose as his team. Each one of them has been handpicked for their power, as well as their control over it.

For example, Youngjae has a pretty terrifying power, the ability to foresee deaths moments before they happen. Usually that leads him to try and prevent them. At the Academy, he focused that energy on learning how to administer emergency care. Jongup wonders how Youngjae isn’t a nervous wreck from all the deaths he couldn’t prevent. In fact, Youngjae is one of the most levelheaded people Jongup knows. Youngjae just says that dealing with death just makes him appreciate life more and that’s why he can be so calm about it.

On the other hand, Himchan's power is just weird. The most use Himchan was making out of his ability to change his density was to make himself weigh less for the scales. Until he met Yongguk, at least. Jongup has no idea how Yongguk was so effective in helping Himchan Refine his power, but now Himchan’s skin armor leaves Jongup with bruises when they practice hand-to-hand combat.

Daehyun’s power is the best. Well, there is no actual best, but Jongup finds the most amusement in it, only because of the person it was bestowed to. It would be a more useful power if Daehyun could stand being ignored, but his invisibility only lasts as long as he can hold his tongue. In combat though, Daehyun’s stealth and speed were no laughing matter and in a pinch, Daehyun’s dramatically final reappearances from nowhere were a godsend. Wielding his dual swords, he cuts quite a striking figure and he knows it. That’s the moment that Daehyun lives for.

The last member is none other than Jongup himself. In Yongguk’s star-studded team, Jongup with his super strength feels extraordinarily ordinary. Even with Yongguk’s assurances that his power isn’t boring, Jongup sometimes wonders if he’s only on the team because everybody else with somewhat useful powers lost them after their Refinement, or because Yongguk’s known him the longest.

He wonders that the most during times like now, when Yongguk is giving them one of his serious talks. He doesn’t raise his voice or yell, but the way his voice softens and the way disappointment laces itself in his voice is more terrifying than anger could ever be. The unconscious tall kid Jongup rescued only buys them a little bit of time while they set him up in an intensive care pod. After he is stabilized they can do nothing to escape from Yongguk.

“It’s easy for me to see everything because I was linked to all of you,” Yongguk starts. “But you guys should know what you did wrong.” He nods towards Himchan, who takes it as a cue to begin his self-reflection.

“I lost control of my powers.” Himchan gives Yongguk a pitiful look. It’s different for Himchan, because he’s the same age as Yongguk, and he plays just as big a part in leading the team. “I’m sorry, I’ve been slacking on my training lately.”

Yongguk just sighs.

Next is Jongup. “I got distracted,” he says. He doesn’t say anything about the other things that happened, like him almost getting flattened into a pancake.

He can tell Yongguk doesn’t know what to say to that. “If your motivation is to protect your teammates, you might not get distracted so easily.” Jongup nods, but he thinks that it’s a lot easier said than done. He loves his hyungs a lot and wants them to be safe already. The problem is he doesn’t think he has the power to help them when they’re all so much more capable than he is. But Yongguk is already moving on to Daehyun.

“I misjudged my placement,” Daehyun says, wincing before he adds on an “again.” Yongguk waits, and Daehyun can’t meet his level stare. “And I didn’t listen to orders to back out.”

“You don’t have to carry the team, Daehyun.” Daehyun nods at Yongguk’s words. “Your teammates trust you to be where you’re supposed to be.

Yongguk turns his attention onto Youngjae. Out of them all, Youngjae has made the least mistakes. “I panicked,” is all he says.

“Youngjae, you completely lost your head.” Yongguk states it in a way that makes no room for excuses.

Youngjae’s eyes flick over to Daehyun and back to the floor. He bites his lower lip and nods. “It won’t happen again.”

Yongguk is silent for a moment as he regards Youngjae. “No, it probably will,” he says, but his voice is much softer. “I know it’s easy to lose it when it’s your bond partner. But you have to understand, you’ll have a better chance of saving him if you keep a clear head.”

Still chewing on his lip, Youngjae nods again, and bows his head further. Jongup tries to understand as much as he can without having his own bond mate the pain Youngjae must have been put through, having to witness Daehyun’s death, even if it wasn’t real. Before his Refinement, Youngjae’s powers were far more uncontrollable, and he couldn’t block out the death visions, even if they weren’t in close range. If not for Daehyun, Youngjae’s powers might have driven him insane before they stabilized.

“And trust your teammates,” Yongguk adds, sternly again. “That goes for all of you, understand?” Everybody nods in sync. “Okay, you can go.”

_Jonguppie_ , Yongguk barely touches his back and brushes his mind as everybody else retreats into their rooms. Jongup falls back and turns around. "You fluctuated," Yongguk says when they're alone.

_Oh_. Jongup remembers losing his powers. _That's what that weird thing was_. Fluctuations in the potency of a superpower signify the start of Refinement. It’s a common part of growing up, associated with puberty and hormones, but Jongup's had somehow skipped him. The rest of his body had developed normally so he just expected they would never come.

"You should take a break," Yongguk says. “You know, find someone.” His cheeks redden a bit, despite the wise older brother role he is playing. "But the sooner you figure it out, the better it will be for the team, you know what I mean?"

Jongup nods. One thing different about fluctuations is that they're associated with maturation of emotions. More specifically, romantic emotions. The stronger the emotional bond, the stronger the power will be at the end of Refinement. That is why his team is the Best Absolute Powers, they had the strongest pair bonds at the Academy, with the exception of Jongup, who they had thought just missed Refinement entirely. They had figured it was a good thing, because he got to keep his powers and didn’t have to deal with the hassle of bonding. Jongup has long contented himself to having the romantic tendencies equivalent to a rock, and non-magnetic one at that.

Now that Jongup is starting his Refinement, he is confused to no end. It isn’t the end of the world if Jongup doesn’t find a bond partner. But he knows he will lose some of his powers, if not all of them. Jongup doesn’t really care about losing his powers, fighting evil can get tiring, but he can’t imagine life without his team. He doesn’t have any other family besides them.

Drawing his eyebrows together, he decides that even if it’s troublesome, he needs to get bonded.

 

*

 

Instead of returning to his chamber, Jongup goes to the hospital wing. He wonders if the boy has come around yet. He would probably like some company if he did wake up, Jongup reasons.

The kid is sound asleep when Jongup arrives however, but Jongup stays for a bit, watching the peaceful face underneath the heavily bandaged forehead. Cleaned up, the kid looks so young, his skin pale and smooth. _And soft_ , Jongup thinks as he reaches out and brushes it without really thinking about what he’s doing.

As if Jongup's touch were a hot iron, the boy's eyes snap open, his breathing hitches, and his body stiffens. Surprised, Jongup jerks his hand back. Jongup freezes as he watches the boy fighting with something internal, his eyes wide open, scared, and unseeing while he breathes shallowly.

Before Jongup can buzz for a nurse, the short breaths even out. The now wide-awake boy finally focuses his eyes on Jongup, his eyelids drooping back down and a frown creasing his brow. It’s a change from how peaceful he was sleeping just moments before.

The boy starts to struggle into an upright position, and Jongup immediately reaches out to push him back down. "Wait," he says, even as his hand is swatted away. He pushes a button on the side of the bed, and it folds up slowly. The boy stops scowling long enough to look curious.

Jongup pulls his chair closer and sits down, watching as the boy alternates looking at his shifting backrest and Jongup. "Where am I?" he finally asks after the bed stops moving, now propping him up into a sitting position. His head is cocked and Jongup gets distracted by his blinking. His eyebrows draw together again. "Who are you?"

“Moon Jongup, at your service.” Jongup smiles at his petulance and greets him with a small salute. “You’re in our base’s hospital.”

"Base? What base? Why?" Before Jongup answers, the boy winces and reaches up and touches his forehead. "Oh…"

"Slow down." Jongup laughs. The kid had been so busy asking questions he didn't even realize he was in pain. Jongup hasn't seen anything so interesting in a while. "How about a name first?"

The boy looks at Jongup with round eyes, his mouth a matching o. He considers for a moment. "Choi Junhong," he says, seeming to decide that Jongup is on his side. "But everybody calls me a menace," he adds with a proud grin that makes his eyes into little crescent lines.

"Everybody?" Jongup asks absently, paying more attention to the dimples that formed on Junhong's cheeks. "Like your family?"

Junhong looks down and purses his lips. "I guess they were, but I ran away."

"Won't your parents be worried?" Jongup frowns.

"I'm an orphan," Junhong says, looking up brightly at Jongup again. "I ran away from boarding school, not a home."

“Oh.” Jongup isn’t sure what to say. He supposes he should be sorry, but Junhong doesn’t sound sad at all when he calls himself an orphan. Jongup understands; his parents are only fuzzy memories now. “Wouldn’t they worry about you?” he asks instead of trying to convey his sympathy.

Shaking his head vehemently, Junhong wrinkles his nose in distaste. “They don’t care about me at all. All they care about is that I’m perfectly well behaved and the only thing they let me do was study.”

Jongup feels like he should be responsible and send Junhong back to the boarding school, because running away from home is no light matter, but Junhong clearly didn’t want to stay there. He wonders if the school mistreated him. “Why did you run away then?”

Junhong shrugs. “I didn’t want to study; I wanted to rap.”

“They wouldn’t let you?” Jongup had no idea that the government kept such close tabs on their wards of state. He tries to imagine what it’d be like if he weren’t allowed to dance.

“It’s just me, too. Apparently I was the only survivor of some disaster that came through my town and so somehow it was my fault and they keep track of everything I do. I used to be able to write lyrics in secret,” Junhong says, “but recently they’ve become stricter and wouldn’t leave me alone, so I ran away.”

Jongup still thinks it’s a bit farfetched of the government to think he brought the destruction upon his town as a baby. “You can write it here,” Jongup says, making a mental note to bring down paper and pens to the hospital ward.

“Can I really?” Junhong’s eyes sparkle. Jongup always thought that orphans would be more…sad or something, but now that Junhong’s warmed up to him, he can’t imagine Junhong not smiling or excited.

Jongup nods, and hums a reply. “So you don’t really have a family?”

“Nope,” Junhong shakes his head. “Well, I don’t know what family is like so I wouldn’t know, but I don’t think so.”

Even though Jongup hasn’t seen his parents in over 15 years, he still feels like he has family. His team is his family. He doesn’t think anybody should be without a family, and right now, all he wants to do is share that with Junhong. “You can be a part of our family.”

“Really?” Junhong’s eyes go round again. “So I can call you—wait, how old are you?”

“18.”

“So I can call you Jongup-hyung?” Junhong asks. “I’m 16,” he adds, for Jongup’s benefit. Jongup’s never been a hyung before; he has always been the baby of the group. _Jongup-hyung_. He rolls the phrase around in his head, testing it out. He thinks he likes the sound of it.

“Yeah, Jongup-hyung is fine.”

 

*

 

Jongup is 10 when he learns to be alone again. That's when he meets Himchan. Or rather, that's when Yongguk meets Himchan.

Himchan is new to the Academy, nobody having noticed his power until he fluctuated and almost floated away. The only evidence of his power is the medical records that baffled doctors. He simply did not look his weight.

Chubby, overly quiet, and nerdy, Himchan doesn’t fit in. Himchan's inability to socialize with the class, along with Yongguk's heart for people in need results in a fast friendship. Due to Yongguk’s encouragement, Himchan finds his voice and self-confidence. As for Yongguk, he has finally met his mental match and Jongup has never seen him more excited.

It's not like Yongguk and Himchan ignore Jongup, it's just that Jongup used to be stuck to Yongguk's side and suddenly he's not always there anymore. It's a good thing, and Jongup discovers he likes doing some things that Yongguk doesn't like, such as dancing. Also, although Yongguk is not boring, Jongup could only handle sitting still for so long while Yongguk worked at song lyrics for hours on end. Yongguk has Himchan for that now.

But he is still alone. At first, Jongup finds any reason to dislike Himchan. He thinks all the attention and physical affection Himchan lavishes on him is some sort of ploy to get Yongguk’s attention. Somehow, Himchan’s persistence wins over Jongup’s reluctance and he realizes that Himchan, in fact, is everything Yongguk made him out to be.

Jongup would never admit it out loud, but he likes when Himchan messes up his hair, or when Himchan gives him impromptu backrubs or one-armed side hugs. He’s pretty sure Himchan knows even though he doesn’t say it aloud. Jongup might like him even more than he likes Yongguk-hyung.

 

*

 

Jongup can’t sleep that night. He worries too much about his untimely Refinement and finding a bond partner. After his brain sends itself on a downward spiral of thoughts of being kicked out of the team, Jongup decides that he needs to talk to somebody.

Himchan feels like the most comfortable hyung to talk about his problems with, so Jongup rolls out of bed and pays a visit to Himchan's room. He catches Himchan as he's preparing to go to sleep, but he realizes he doesn't even know what he wants to ask.

"Do you need hyung's advice?" Himchan asks when Jongup doesn't say anything for a while. He sounds cautious, as if he is waiting for Jongup's permission to be excited.

"Kinda." Jongup purses his lips. "Yeah."

Instantly, Himchan's face lights up. He sits down cross-legged on his bed and pats the spot next to him. He hands Jongup a pillow and grabs one for himself after Jongup hesitantly takes it. "We need pillows," Himchan says, "if we're going to pillow talk."

Jongup just looks at Himchan weirdly. "Okay, hyung."

Himchan responds by slinging an arm around Jongup's shoulders. "So, what's up?"

Jongup hugs his pillow and draws up his knees. "Did Yongguk-hyung tell you about my...?" He gestures up and down his body.

"Fluctuations?" Himchan fills it in for him. Jongup nods. "Yeah," Himchan says, despite the fact that it's redundant.

There's no great way of going around it, so Jongup just asks straight up. "How am I supposed to bond?"

Himchan laughs, but it's not a condescending laugh. "Jonguppie, you're the cutest," he says, squeezing Jongup's knee. "Bonding is something that happens naturally when you love somebody and they love you back. You don't have to think too much about it."

"I love our members," Jongup says. He thinks the other way around is true. He hopes it's true. "But it doesn't work that way, does it?"

Himchan shakes his head. "It's a bit different." He looks down and picks at the fuzz on his pillow. "Your bond partner will be your best friend, who you can tell anything to, but that's not all." Himchan's eyes grow distant and Jongup thinks he's probably thinking of Yongguk by the way he doesn't realize he's smiling as he's talking. "You think they're beautiful, even if they just woke up with drool dried to their face and their hair sticking up." Now Jongup's sure Himchan's thinking about Yongguk. The marking on Himchan’s left forearm, the soul chain binding him to Yongguk, is glowing. Jongup thinks it is one of the most beautiful things he has ever seen. "You'll also find that you want to share everything with them. Experiences, laughs, music, food...even your own body."

Jongup's forehead wrinkles in worry. "How do you do that? You don’t have body swapping powers, do you?"

Himchan laughs again, much harder now, doubling over this time. "Jonguppie, you're the best," he says between fits. Jongup waits for him to calm down and wipe a few tears away from his eyes. "No, simple things, like holding hands." He takes Jongup's hand and squeezes. "Kissing, too, and other stuff, but you don't want to kiss me, right?"

Jongup makes a face. "Not particularly."

"I'd kiss you," Himchan says magnanimously.

Jongup contemplates in silence for a bit. "But how come I haven't felt that way about anybody before? What's wrong with me?"

Himchan grabs his shoulders and won't let Jongup break eye contact. "Nothing. There is absolutely nothing wrong with you Jonguppie. Make sure you know that, alright?"

Jongup nods, and Himchan lets go.

"Late bloomers always bloom the most beautifully," Himchan says, pinching Jongup's cheeks. In that moment, Jongup is so thankful, and wishes he was capable of expressing his gratitude. It's easy for Himchan, who always uses affection with them, but for Jongup, it's harder than carrying a boulder three miles, which he has done before.

"Thanks, hyung," Jongup says, and surprises Himchan with a tight squeeze. He tries to put the things he can't express with words into the hug, but Himchan probably already knows. Himchan returns it just as tightly.

"Anytime.” Jongup feels it’s about the right time to pull away. Except Himchan isn't letting go. Jongup tries to wiggle out of his grasp, but Himchan is relishing in the fact that Jongup initiated it. "You should come to hyung more often," Himchan says, and finally releases Jongup.

Now that Jongup thinks about it, talking to Himchan honestly went so much better than expected, and he thinks that he might just take Himchan up on the offer. He nods. "Okay."

Jongup is about to get up from the bed when Himchan grabs his hand. "Hey, want to sleep over tonight?"

Jongup's never had a sleepover before. “Okay,” he says, just so he can see Himchan excited. Maybe he’s a bit excited too. He watches as Himchan crawls under the covers and raises them, beckoning Jongup to join him. Jongup lies down and lets Himchan tuck him in.

He falls asleep to stories about Yongguk's time at the Academy, stories that even he's never heard of, and a warm comfort that doesn’t come from Himchan's blanket.

 

*

 

Junhong recovers remarkably quickly, already out of the ward and following Jongup around as soon as the nurses let him out.

He meets the others and he gets along easily with them all, even Himchan who he thinks is weird, but he still likes Jongup the best. Jongup also doesn't mind taking Junhong around, letting Junhong borrow all his games and comics, or showing Junhong how he dances.

Junhong is curious about everything, and Jongup, who normally prefers being by himself, finds that he very much enjoys Junhong's company. The first time Jongup goes to practice dance, Junhong jumps up and down and won't stop wiggling.

"I've never been allowed to dance," Junhong says, his eyes shining. "My school only had academic clubs."

"You won't be disappointed." Jongup smiles, calm and serene compared to Junhong who is bouncing off the walls. He sets down his speakers and presses play on his mp3. He watches for a moment as Junhong's erratic head-bobs conform to the tune.

Soon he's feeling the beat too, and he lets his body go. He's never really danced for anybody before, so he can't help but sneak a few glances at Junhong's reaction. Junhong had gone completely still and all he’s doing is watching Jongup. Junhong watches so intently that Jongup wonders if his eyes will be okay from not blinking.

To Jongup's surprise, Junhong jumps in and starts to dance as well, trying out some of Jongup's moves and also throwing in some of his own. Jongup starts imitating Junhong back at him, and soon they're less dancing and more waving their arms and shaking their hips at each other. It makes Jongup laugh so hard he ends up on the floor with Junhong lying across his stomach.

"Teach me," Junhong says when he catches his breath. Jongup sits up on his elbows and tries to look at Junhong. It does not work very well.

Jongup rolls away and sits up so he can look at Junhong in the eye. "I should be asking you to teach me," he grins. He's only half kidding. Without anybody else to dance with he feels a bit stuck, and making up new moves with Junhong is refreshing.

Junhong doesn't even know how much it had meant, but he matches Jongup's grin with his own lopsided one. "Only if you teach me first."

"It's a deal," Jongup says, offering a hand.

Junhong's hand is as warm as his smile. "Deal."

 

*

 

Jongup is in the middle of taking stock of the fridge with Junhong when the intercom in the kitchen crackles. “Team meeting in 10,” says Yongguk’s voice through the com. Jongup closes the fridge. His cooking experiment with Junhong will have to wait until later.

Junhong turns towards Jongup, his face shining with awe. “Team meeting?”

“Do you want to come?” Jongup asks, and Junhong nods fervently. Pushing the button to the kitchen intercom, Jongup speaks into the mic on the wall. “Yongguk-hyung, can Junhong come?”

It’s silent for a moment. “Yeah,” Yongguk’s voice comes through again. “In fact I think he’d better come.”

Jongup exchanges a glance with Junhong, and he doesn’t miss the worry that flashes across Junhong’s face.

 

*

 

"The reason I called you guys here," Yongguk says when they have all gathered, unrolling a newspaper, "is this." He points to the picture in the center of the page.

It's Junhong, underneath the large block of letters that spell out "MISSING."

“Do they know I’m here?” Junhong blurts out before anybody can react.

"The state is searching for him," Yongguk explains. He turns towards Junhong. “Nobody knows you’re here right now, but should they?”

Junhong shrinks against Jongup’s side. “I don’t want to go back,” he says forlornly, and for a moment he looks like a child being scolded by his mother.

"Can't we keep him?" Jongup asks what he thinks is the obvious.

Yongguk gives him a searching look and sighs. Jongup knows Yongguk has a soft spot for him as the youngest, though Jongup rarely ever takes advantage of it. "You know we'd be committing a crime by hiding him."

"It won't be for long," Junhong says, eager to make his case. "I'll go back eventually."

"I like Junhong," Youngjae supplies helpfully.

Daehyun also nods. "He can help out with chores," he adds.

Youngjae shoves him. "Don't try to get out of your toilet-scrubbing duties."

"I'll scrub the toilets," Junhong says, almost bouncing with excitement. Jongup has never seen anybody so enthusiastic about cleaning toilets. He smiles without realizing it.

"Let's definitely keep him," Daehyun says, grinning smugly. Youngjae punches him in the arm.

Everybody looks at Yongguk, and Yongguk looks at Himchan. Himchan shrugs. Sighing, Yongguk buries his face in his hands. “Okay, for now.”

“Thanks, Yongguk-hyung,” Jongup says, beaming.

“Yeah, thanks, Yongguk-hyung,” Junhong echos, as he wiggles his shoulders in excitement. Yongguk lifts his eyebrows at Junhong’s unexpected use of “hyung,” but he smiles at it. Jongup feels a warm pride seeing how easily Junhong is being accepted into his family.

 

*

 

Jongup’s not allowed to go on missions because of his fluctuations. Missing the first few missions with his team is okay, especially with the bitterness of the last failure fresh on his mind. He probably needs the break. But after the first few, staying at home makes Jongup antsy.

Junhong is a good distraction though, and they keep each other entertained. They dance, read comics, and play Pokemon on the DS together. Jongup even gets Junhong to show him his top secret rap. Jongup thinks it’s good enough to show Yongguk, and manages to convince Junhong likewise. Jongup can’t explain the pride he feels when Yongguk agrees with his assessment and invites Junhong to record with him.

The rain is relentless and persistent, so they mostly stay inside. When Jongup finds out that Junhong hasn’t seen any movies before, he takes it upon himself to show Junhong all of his childhood classics.

Within the first few minutes of the first movie they watch, Jongup decides that he likes watching movies with Junhong in the same way he enjoys watching movies with Youngjae. Junhong stomps his feet and claps whenever he finds something entertaining, and it renews Jongup’s interest in the movies he’s seen countless times.

Halfway through, Junhong rests his head on Jongup’s shoulder. It takes Jongup by surprise. Himchan does it all the time, but it feels different with Junhong. He loses his concentration on the movie and instead focuses on relaxing and not being too stiff. He probably fails, but Junhong, too busy watching the movie, doesn’t notice.

 

*

 

As the week goes along, the rain shows no sign of stopping, but one day the weather finally clears up. Jongup takes advantage of this day to take Junhong out to explore the city. He wants to see Junhong’s reactions to the street vendors and all the shops and restaurants.

“Whoaaa,” Junhong doesn’t stop saying as they enter the city market. They are greeted by colorful signs and advertisements, along with the smell of breakfast foods. Jongup buys them both some meat buns when he sees Junhong practically drooling over them. “These are amazing,” Junhong says as the juice from the bun runs down his chin. By instinct, Jongup reaches up to wipe it clean. Junhong startles at Jongup’s touch, and Jongup pulls his hand back, embarrassed. “No, it’s okay, you just surprised me,” Junhong says quickly, and allows Jongup to wipe the napkin across his mouth.

They stop at a stall selling handcrafted statuettes, some made of wood, some of straw, some of glass. “How’s business been?” Jongup asks the vendor while Junhong admires all of the little figurines, inspecting them in his hand carefully.

“The rain’s discouraged a lot of people from coming,” the vendor replies. “But today’s been good.”

Jongup bends down next to Junhong to look at the charms. He frowns as he looks closer. They’re vibrating against the table surface. “Are these supposed to be—”

A strong tremor upends the entire table, sending the figures flying. Jongup instinctively catches as many as he can, and Junhong does the same. Together, they manage to save most of them, but a few of the glass ones shatter upon hitting the floor.

“What’s going on?” Junhong shouts over the sounds of panic coming from all over the market.

“Earthquake,” Jongup shouts back, but the shaking has already stopped. He rights the table and puts the statuettes in his hands back.

“Thanks,” the flustered vendor says. “I take back what I said. What’s going on in this world? Earthquakes…” he mutters, as Junhong and Jongup excuse themselves.

Jongup also wonders what in the world is going on. He stays and explores more with Junhong until the sun goes down, but he can’t help but feel a pit of fear gnawing at his belly.

 

*

 

Contrary to popular belief, Jongup is a pensive thinker. He gets wrapped up in his thoughts even more when he doesn't have anything else to do, and being unable to go on the last few missions with the others has set him so far inside his head he can't sleep. He keeps thinking about his teammates, how he finds his family in them, and whether he'd still be accepted if he lost his powers. He wonders what Junhong feels like, to not have anybody to call his family. He tries putting himself in that position and can't.

As he lies in bed, he turns his unseeing eyes up towards the ceiling. He thinks a lot about finding a bond partner. He isn't looking very hard for one. It seems too troublesome, anyways. He keeps thinking and worrying until he hears a knock on his door.

"Mm?" He doesn't bother getting up.

The door cracks open. It's Junhong. He can tell by the long silhouette blocking out the light in his doorframe. "Hyung, are you awake?"

"What do you think?" Jongup laughs. Junhong returns it weakly. He seems hesitant for once, not sure what to do with himself as he lingers by the foot of Jongup's bed.

"I had a bad dream."

"Mm."Jongup rolls over on his bed to make room. "Did you want to sleep here tonight?"

"Kind of," Junhong says, but Jongup knows from how quickly he climbs into the tiny bed that he meant yes. The bed really only has room for one person comfortably, or two if personal space doesn't matter. Junhong seems to have no problem with it. His long limbs fit snugly up against Jongup. "I get sleep paralysis."

Jongup remembers when he saw Junhong wake up for the first time. He had seemed terrified.

Jongup wraps his arm behind Junhong's head, letting Junhong use it like a pillow. "I'll keep you safe from nightmares," he says, petting Junhong's hair.

"It's working," Junhong yawns, and buries his head into Jongup's shoulder. "G'night," he murmurs, half-asleep already.

His breathing is deep and even, sending puffs of warm air over Jongup's collarbone. Jongup looks down at the pale skin of Junhong's face, almost glowing in the dark, and all of a sudden he is too conscious of the way Junhong's hair tickles his neck, the way Junhong's forearm rests along his chest, the way Junhong's legs are too long so they curl up and rest on his thigh.

Jongup's heart quickens to his surprise, and he's afraid Junhong will be able to hear it. He's afraid to move at all. His fingers stop working at Junhong's hair for a moment, but quickly resume when Junhong subconsciously whines.

His face suddenly feels like it is on fire. A thought suddenly hits him. It isn’t surprising, considering he has been worrying about all night. _Is this what soulbonding is?_ He always thought that getting a bond partner was weird and boring, but the more he thinks about it, the more he feels like if Junhong were to soulbond with him, he wouldn't mind. Junhong is always interesting, he makes Jongup smile, and he thinks dancing with Jongup is cool. Jongup likes being with him.

Even though the hyungs don't display it publicly, Jongup's seen them do things sometimes that bond mates are supposed to do, like holding hands. He recalls his conversation with Himchan. _Or kissing_. He looks down at Junhong sleeping against his chest. Junhong's mouth is slightly open, and he might be starting to drool on Jongup's shirt, but his wet lips are shiny and beautiful in the darkness. Jongup thinks he wouldn't mind kissing them either.

In fact, now that Jongup thinks about it, he _wants_ to kiss them. He's got half a mind to try, but he catches himself and freezes. Would Junhong mind? What if Junhong thinks kissing is gross, like Jongup used to think? What if Junhong thinks kissing _Jongup_ is gross?

Jongup turns his gaze back to the ceiling, where he can't see Junhong's glowing soft skin or his pretty lips. He really needs to stop thinking and go to sleep. He squeezes his eyes shut and tries to pretend that Junhong's body next to him is just another rescued kitten staying the night.

_The cutest kitten I've ever rescued_ , Jongup thinks, and he knows it's going to be a long, long night.

 

*

 

The first thing Jongup realizes when he wakes up is that he cannot breathe. He can't move, either. It feels like everything is pressed in on him, and he's trying his best, but his body won't move.

His eyes are open but they can't see anything. The darkness is so vast, yet he feels so trapped.

After a terrifying moment, he is able to draw a deep gasp of air and his fingers twitch. He blinks and his vision returns slowly. As he regains awareness of his surroundings, he remembers that Junhong is nestled close to his side.

He suppresses a groan as his heart starts racing and his breathing shallows. Sleeping on it did him no good whatsoever. In fact, in the morning light, Junhong looks even more perfect with his face smushed into Jongup's shoulder. His eyelashes glow in the sunlight. Half of his opened mouth rests on Jongup's bare skin, and Jongup lets the idea of those lips working at his collarbones enter his mind.

When the last thought passes through he immediately feels a wave of guilt and shame wash over him. He feels a sudden need to move and he lets out a frustrated yell. Too late, he remembers that Junhong is still on him as he rolls onto his stomach.

Junhong yelps as he hits the floor. He recovers just as quickly, rolling over on his back and looking at Jongup. “What was that?"

Jongup freezes for a moment, his mind catching up to his body. "It's your punishment," he finally comes up with.

"What did I do?" Junhong pulls himself up to a sitting position, rubbing his shoulder. The pitiful look on his face makes Jongup feel worse.

"You gave me your sleep paralysis." Jongup pulls the covers up to his neck and curls up as Junhong climbs back onto the bed. He doesn't think he can handle any more skin-to-skin contact with Junhong at the moment.

Junhong takes that as permission to jump on top of him. "You're so tiny," Junhong says as he sits on Jongup's waist and tries to wrestle the covers off.

His attempts do nothing against Jongup's strengthened grip, and Jongup pulls the covers higher over his head. "No I'm not, you're just huge," he says, muffled by the thick comforter. He curls up a little tighter.

Giving up, Junhong slides down next to Jongup and crosses his legs. He pushes at Jongup's back. "Jonguppie-hyung, get up."

Jongup replies with a grunt.

"You woke me up, now keep me company." Junhong jiggles at his arm.

Another grunt.

"I'm sorry about giving you sleep paralysis." The shaking stops for a moment. "Even though I don't think sleep paralysis is contagious."

The longest grunt of all. It's true, Jongup knows that sleep paralysis is another normal part of Refinement, signifying the next stage. It means worse fluctuations. He allows his head to poke back through the covers.

"Please get up?" Junhong's whisper and soft brush of his lips against the shell of Jongup's ear sends goosebumps from the back of Jongup’s neck all the way down his spine.

He jolts up, blanket still wrapped protectively around his shoulders. "I'm up," he says hastily, trying to put as much distance between them as possible on the bed meant for one.

"Okay." Junhong sits back, bounces the bed once, twice, and on the third time he swings his long legs over the side and stands up. With a "hurry up," he disappears from Jongup's room.

Jongup is left underneath his blanket cape, alone with his troublesome thoughts. Sleep paralysis means worse fluctuations. Worse fluctuations means he needs to worry about pair bonding. Pair bonding means..?

Junhong.

Jongup shakes his head and sighs. Every single thought just finds its way back to Junhong.

At this rate, it's better to not have any thoughts at all.

 

*

 

Jongup spends most of the day flinching away whenever Junhong comes close to touching him, and squeezing his eyes shut every time Junhong makes a cute expression, which is all the time because Junhong’s face does not stay still for a single moment.

When Junhong asks if he is okay, Jongup does not know how to answer. He is not sick, but he still feels like throwing up when Junhong looks at him with his doe eyes and calls him hyung. He can’t slow down his heartbeat when Junhong leans in and whispers little secrets right against his ear. He can’t even breathe sometimes when he looks at Junhong.

So even though Jongup’s not sick, that is what he tells Junhong, because he doesn’t know what’s wrong. 

 

*

 

Youngjae is Jongup's roommate when he is moved into the Academy's elite training tier at age 14. He is a good roommate, friendly but not overbearing. Youngjae is closer to Jongup's age than the other two hyungs, so Jongup finds their friendship comfortable. 

It is a quieter friendship, as most of the times they just keep each other company while they do separate things. There is no pressure to do things together, but Jongup enjoys it whenever they do end up sharing a meal, or watching a movie. Especially watching movies, even though Youngjae reacts with his entire body, he makes them so much more interesting, so Jongup is willing to endure a few slaps and kicks.

Youngjae is really smart, but he's not intimidating at all. When he is laughing way too hard at something that is only mildly funny, Jongup forgets. He is only reminded whenever Youngjae speaks, how every word is filled with tact and thought. If Jongup did not pay attention, he wouldn't even notice. He thinks it's almost like subliminal messaging, or mind manipulation.

Also, Jongup has seen Youngjae's homework, and he would rather climb 99 flights of stairs than try to figure it out. Never mind that it is part of his weekly training routine. It is around this time that Jongup starts questioning his purpose in life, and his purpose at the Academy. Somebody with Youngjae's powers would provide immeasurable help to the world, while all Jongup could do was lift big rocks.

Youngjae has never made him feel out of place, though. He always finds something positive to say about Jongup, and tells him he has a role that is different from others’ roles, but no less important. “A body would be useless if it had 20 brains and nothing else, right?” he would always say. Jongup tries to believe that, but it is a bit harder when he doesn’t know what his role is, unlike Youngjae.

There’s not a lot that Youngjae doesn’t know.

 

*

 

Junhong returns to Jongup's room that night, and Jongup can't turn him away. He also knows he won't be able to sleep, so when Junhong falls asleep, Jongup wriggles out, untangling himself from Junhong's long limbs, careful not to wake him. He might just sleep on their sofa tonight.

When he gets to the common room though, he finds Youngjae there, still awake, browsing on his tablet. He glances up from the screen. "Can't sleep?"

"Nope," Jongup says, taking the other end of the couch. He takes the blanket there and wraps it around his shoulders.

"Anything wrong?" Youngjae sounds like he's on autopilot, just asking these things because he’s obligated to. It’s enough for Jongup, though.

"Not really." Jongup thinks about it. "Can I ask you something?"

"Go for it," Youngjae says from behind the tablet.

Youngjae's smart and levelheaded in most situations, and if anyone were to give Jongup a logical answer, it would be Youngjae. "Hyung, why do you like Daehyun?"

Giving Jongup his full attention now, Youngjae seems surprised. There is a moment's hesitation where it feels like he wants to ask something back. He hides it quickly, though. "That's a good question," Youngjae says, "considering Daehyun eats like a pig, doesn't know when to shut up, can't read the mood of his company, is inconsiderate of other people's sleep habits, has to be the center of all the attention, and I'm only scratching the surface."

Jongup wrinkles his nose. That does not sound very much like love to him.

"But the short answer is that despite knowing everything that's wrong with Daehyun, sometimes even because of it, I'm unable to not like him, and so I just do, it's not really a choice," Youngjae says, his eyes soft, no trace of annoyance in his face whatsoever. So he wasn't complaining about Daehyun. "And he does the same for me."

"What's the long answer?" Jongup doesn't like the sound of not being in control. "Is it more logical?"

"There are logical parts," Youngjae says, smiling so that his cheekbones push up and make his eyes narrow. "Daehyun's fun to be around, I laugh a lot when I'm with him. He has a voice like liquid gold, singing no longer sounds complete unless he's harmonizing with me. You can tell by the way he enjoys food that he appreciates even the simple things of life, and that's what stabilized me when my fluctuations drove me insane.

"But a lot of it's also illogical." Youngjae laughs when Jongup twists his mouth. "Funny, right? Love is one of the most basic human emotions yet it stumps me to no end. I can't explain that feeling that hits me when I just look at Daehyun. It squeezes right here," Youngjae clenches his shirt right over his heart, "so tightly it's painful, but it also makes me tingle all the way to my fingers and toes."

"It makes me want to smile and cry at the same time, because I'm so grateful I have him, and so scared that it won't be that way forever." Youngjae's face has gone serious again, and he looks away from Jongup. "You saw how badly I panicked when his life was in danger."

Jongup nods, he's never seen Youngjae like that before.

“He makes me lose my head," Youngjae continues, "and not even when he's in danger. I still can't think a single coherent thought when we kiss." He glances back up. "Sorry for getting all sentimental on you."

Jongup realizes he's frowning. It's just because he's concentrating. Everything he feels for Junhong makes just a little bit more sense. He lets his forehead relax and he shakes his head. "No, thanks hyung, I feel a lot better now."

Youngjae gives him a quick squeeze on his neck. "Think you can sleep now?"

"Yeah," Jongup says, because it's true. He thinks he can accept his feelings as love, and that keeps his mind from going into overdrive. He picks himself off the sofa and puts the blanket back. "Good night, hyung."

Youngjae leans back against the sofa and picks up his tablet again. “Sleep tight, Jonguppie.”

 

*

 

The relentless rain worsens into thunderstorms the next morning, and Jongup is secretly glad he is incapacitated when the SOS alarms wake him up. He feels only slightly guilty that he gets to stay in bed while the others have to get up and go out on a mission. He hasn’t slept that well in a while. Beside him, Junhong groans and shifts a little, but he doesn’t get up. Jongup watches his sleeping face for a while. When Junhong sleeps, he curls up on his side, his mouth opens up just a little bit, his upper lip sticks out, and he looks so innocent he could disarm a war.

Jongup wants to capture this image in his mind forever. He doesn’t want to disturb Junhong from sleep, but the more he stares, the more he wants to touch Junhong, to brush the hair from his eyes, to stroke his cheek, to trace the ridge of his nose, to kiss his parted lips. It feels like one touch will break the spell.

When Jongup can no longer stand it, he carefully draws away and gets up out of bed. He wants to dance, to get rid of all his restless energy. He leaves a note for Junhong and eats a light breakfast, then goes to the practice room.

As Jongup is dancing, he tries to express his feelings through his movements. “Love” is something new to Jongup, and it’s scary and exciting at the same time. It is just like when Jongup does a flip in midair. For a moment, he is free, nothing rooting himself to the ground, stabilizing him. It is terrifying not being sure if he is going to land on his neck or his feet, but exhilarating at the same time.

“Love” is also kind of comfortable, Jongup thinks, once he got used to the movements. Some things like body rolls used to be so difficult for Jongup to grasp, and his body wanted to all move in the same direction at the same time. But after a lot of practice, it’s now easy to isolate parts of his body. Likewise, Jongup’s body, which used to freeze when Junhong brushed his arm by accident, now melts naturally into Junhong’s when they lounge on the couch watching a movie together. 

It is also confusing, this thing called “love,” and turns Jongup’s world upside down. Dancing is something that Jongup has always been able to do by himself, and he never realized that dancing could get even better when he was with somebody he enjoyed. Now he wishes Junhong were with him.

Jongup is checking the time—almost an hour since he left Junhong sleeping—when a loud crash comes from the general vicinity of their chambers. And the first thing on his mind is—Junhong.

Without a second thought, Jongup sprints back to his room, frantically praying that nothing would happen to Junhong. He slams open his front door.

Junhong’s gone.

There’s debris all over the floor from the glass pane of his wall, which has been smashed open, letting in the rain and wind. Something gigantic has been inside, and it probably has Junhong. Jongup looks outside, hoping to catch a glimpse of it in the cloak of the storm.

_SCREECH_. Jongup nearly falls out the opening as the monster swoops up from below. It turns its head so that one giant beady eye is facing him. It’s the bird-dragon monster thing, the last one he had fought. Junhong is nowhere to be seen.

Backing away, Jongup grabs the sheets off his bed and throws them over the threatening head. He needs a rope, any rope, and he needs to get to the ground. He stands no chance midair when his powers are weak. Having their base up in a tower is really not a great design decision, Jongup thinks as he tries to overcome his panic.  _You have a better chance of saving him if your head is clear_ , Yongguk’s words replay in his head. He finds the SOS button and hits it.

Now that he has sounded the alarm, he needs to secure Junhong, and since the monster was clearly after Junhong, the only way he can think of doing that is putting down the beast. Taking a deep breath, Jongup takes aim and leaps. He grabs hold of the monster’s long, scaly talon and hangs on for dear life as it writhes, trying to get the bed sheet off its head. It can’t maintain its flight while it struggles, and it lands on the ground ungracefully. Jongup loses his grip and falls off as bird screeches in pain.

Jongup lands on his feet, bruised but mostly unharmed, and the bird shakes the sheet off its head. It sees Jongup and starts coming after him, but it’s limping. Jongup sees its right claw is bent at a weird angle. It must have landed badly, and Jongup is thankful for that. Every little handicap ups his chances of survival. It is still terrifyingly fast, and Jongup dodges between buildings, looking for anything he could use.

He finds an abandoned chain in front of one of the many stores that didn’t have time to lock up, and he picks it up while turning around to face the monster. Quickly stepping aside to dodge the razor-sharp beak that was aimed at him, Jongup swings his legs over the long neck. Holding one end of the chain in either hand, he loops it around the snake-like neck and squeezes.

Jongup uses every last drop of strength to hang on to the chain. It’s difficult when the monster starts stumbling and shaking its head. It slams its back against the brick wall of a building, also slamming Jongup into it as a result, and Jongup hears the crack of his own skull.

Vision swimming, the only things Jongup is aware of as everything fades to black are the blood making its way down his neck, the chain in his hands, and the feeling of falling. He hopes what he did was enough as he passes out. He doesn’t remember hitting the ground.

 

*

 

Jongup wakes up to find himself in the same hospital wing he had visited little more than a week ago. He blinks, squinting as the back of his head throbs in protest at the brightness. Wiggling his fingers and toes, he breathes out a sigh of relief to find they still work. Shifting a bit, Jongup feels a weight on his chest and looks down.

Junhong has fallen asleep on him, waiting for him to wake up, he realizes. He reaches up and goes to brush Junhong's hair off of his face when he suddenly notices the dark purple bruises on Junhong's neck.

He traces them out with his finger. With a jolt, he realizes that they go all around Junhong's neck, thick and chain-shaped.

Junhong stirs at his soft touch, and Jongup doesn't understand how his heart can melt so easily as Junhong blinks in recognition and graces him with a blinding smile. "Jonguppie-hyung," he says, finding Jongup's hand and squeezing it.

Jongup can't help returning Junhong's million-watt smile, and it almost makes him forget about the strangulation bruises around Junhong's neck. There's no way, right? Jongup can feel how badly Junhong wants to take more than his hand, and how he's holding back for fear of Jongup's injuries. There's no way Junhong caused those injuries.

"Are you okay?" Junhong looks concerned, and Jongup realizes he must have grimaced.

He nods. "Do you...remember anything?"

Junhong's distress shows clearly on his face. He shakes his head. "I fell asleep and when I woke up everything was a mess and I got these," he says, lifting his chin to show the bruises more clearly. "I don't know how I didn't wake up," he says, not even trying to hide his frustration. "I'm so useless."

"It's okay," Jongup says, moving his fingers up to ruffle Junhong's hair. "I'm glad you're okay."

Junhong props his elbows down by Jongup's chest and rests his chin in his hands. "Me too, he says. He looks down. "How long will you take to heal?"

For the first time since he woke up, Jongup notices the casts on his right leg and the bandages around his chest. He takes a deep breath, and it catches in pain. He estimates about 3 broken ribs, maybe bruised lungs. His toes still move so he is pretty sure his leg is not shattered irreparably. He might not be able to dance for a while. "My cells have super strength too," he reassures Junhong. "It'll be faster than a normal person's."

Jongup feels like he is saying these things for himself more than he is saying them for Junhong. He has never sustained such bad injuries in the first place, and he's not sure if his fluctuations will obstruct his healing. But seeing the relief on Junhong's face makes Jongup feel like he will be fine.

Instead, he worries more about Junhong. He thinks he knows the answer, but he asks anyways. "Is your ankle okay?"

Junhong blinks in surprise. "How did you know?" He lifts his right foot up and shows Jongup the compressor around his ankle. "It's just twisted," he says quickly, taking the disbelieving look on Jongup's face as alarm. "We can be twins," he jokes, the corner of his mouth twitches.

Under normal circumstances, Jongup would be laughing delightedly. Instead he only manages a weak chuckle, his stomach churning unpleasantly. He has all but confirmed that Junhong is the monster they have been fighting. Jongup is severely confused.

"Are you okay?" Junhong asks, worried. Apparently his reaction's not good enough for Junhong. Jongup's a terrible liar.

Shaking his head, Jongup looks up at Junhong's open, earnest face.  _There is just no way_. "I just need some more sleep," he says, apologetic.

"Go to sleep," Junhong says immediately, standing up and arranging the covers more comfortably around Jongup. "I'll still be here if you need me," he says, taking a seat next to Jongup's bed.

Jongup hums an affirmation and closes his eyes, but he can't sleep. His mind is running too wildly.

The more he thinks, he finds more things that make sense, and more things that do not. He remembers when he found Junhong in the middle of the rubble when it did not make sense for any person to be there. He thinks of the unrelenting storms and the unnatural earthquake. Then he thinks about how excited Junhong was to see him dance, and how his eyes crinkle asymmetrically when he smiles too widely.

Jongup feels a light pressure between his eyes. He opens them, and sees Junhong staring intently at him. His eyebrows shoot up in surprise.

"You were frowning," Junhong explains. "Don't frown."

How is Junhong a monster when he says things like this? Jongup frowns some more and earns another poke in the forehead.

Protesting the pokes, he is about to pull the covers over his head when Junhong suddenly swoops down. He pecks Jongup right on his frown wrinkles with those shiny pink lips and sits back down.

Jongup is sure he is turning as bright as a tomato, and by the way his mind empties, somehow manages to forget about his dilemma. He pushes it aside and decides he'll talk to one of the hyungs later.

"Sleep well.” Junhong’s hair tickles the side of Jongup’s face.

Jongup does not have too much trouble falling asleep after that, and if he fell asleep with a smile on his face, only Junhong would be able to say.

 

*

 

The problem of Junhong being a monster is still not gone when Jongup gets out of the hospital wing the next morning, a little prematurely due to an emergency team meeting. He should probably tell someone, but he doesn’t know who. Would Junhong still be allowed to stay with them? 

There is also the question of whether he should tell Junhong. There is no time to tell him now though, when everybody is gathered in the common room again.

“You all probably figured this meeting is about yesterday’s attack on our base.” Jongup did not actually figure that, and it sets him on edge. Was there a possibility that they found out about Junhong as well? Jongup watches nervously as Yongguk pulls up a report. At the top right corner is a crudely drawn picture of what is still unmistakably the possibly-Junhong monster that he fought yesterday. “The situation with the monster is a lot worse than previously thought. This monster is actually from a legend.”

Junhong scoots closer, his thigh pressing against Jongup’s, and Jongup tenses by reflex. He tries to focus his attention on the report by skimming over a few lines of it as Yongguk start to read them.

" 'Every few hundred years, there is some astral alignment that's associated with the birth of an apocalyptic monster. The monster, given the name Zelo during its previous appearances, has power over the earth, bringing about natural disasters wherever it goes.

" 'If Zelo isn't destroyed, it will bring about the destruction of the world.' " Yongguk looks from the file back at them. "There was actually a documented incident of Zelo that matches the astral data from 15 years ago, but it disappeared as quickly as it came."

"Until now," Youngjae says, as realization dawns.

Yongguk nods. "The world is depending on us to destroy it," he says gravely.

Jongup swallows. The monster they have to destroy is sitting next to him, keeping his side warm, listening intently and watching with wide-eyed admiration. "Do we  _have_  to kill it?"

"It says the world will end if we don't," Daehyun says, pointing at the screen.

Jongup frowns. If they kill the monster, what would happen to Junhong? Jongup doesn't even want to entertain the idea. "Can't we negotiate with it or something?" 

There is a short pause as everybody stares at him, then Youngjae starts laughing, pulling everybody else in with him. Jongup doesn't usually mind when the others do not take him seriously, he agrees some things he says are out there, but this time, it is hurtful and frustrating.

"I don't think we can talk to Zelo," Himchan says as kindly as possible. That frustrates Jongup even more. He knows for sure that he can, that they all can for that matter.

Jongup doesn't say anything for the rest of their meeting. All he can think about is how to get Junhong out of this situation.

When Yongguk breaks the meeting, Junhong catches Jongup’s hand. “I think your idea is worth a try,” he says into Jongup’s ear. 

Despair rips out of Jongup and he smiles sadly at Junhong. “I hope so.”

 

*

 

Jongup hates stress. It is against his life policy. Yet he is overflowing with it and can barely concentrate on anything. Not even playing Pokemon with Junhong is helping, and that is the most distracting thing he can think of.

He tries to keep track of the weather, and gauge how close Junhong is to transforming, but there is no noticeable pattern since it rains all the time. He feels like he is fighting against time, which is impossible to grasp, let alone beat. His team is going to be ready for Zelo the next time it appears, and even though Jongup knows it’s possible for Zelo to turn back into Junhong, he has no idea how.

Even if he did know how, he doesn’t know how he is going to do it by himself and discreetly enough that his team won’t notice Zelo is Junhong.

He is interrupted out of his increasingly frantic thoughts by the intercom. It isn’t for a meeting though. It’s for Junhong. Jongup does not want to let Junhong leave his sights, so he goes with Junhong to the common room. He has a bad feeling about this.

Entering the room, his fears are confirmed. On the couch is a government agent, dressed in all black, briefcase besides him. He wants to grab Junhong’s hand and run, but Yongguk is right there, and the agent has already unmistakably seen Junhong. “It’s okay,” Yongguk says, his voice as reassuring as he can make it.

_No, it’s not_ , Jongup thinks, but he stays quiet.

“May I speak to Junhong in private?” the agent says, ignoring Jongup’s poise to strike. Yongguk gives Jongup a look, and Jongup has no choice but to agree. He and Yongguk leave the room, shutting the door behind them, but Jongup sits outside the door, trying to make out bits of the conversation. His only reassurance is that he is standing between Junhong and the exit. If the government tries to take Junhong away, they would have to get through him.

The agent is fast, and Jongup doesn’t have to worry for too long as the door opens again.

“Thanks for your time,” he says, as Yongguk shows him to the exit. 

“What was that about?” Jongup asks Junhong as soon as the agent leaves.

Junhong shrugs, looking confused as well. “I can stay,” he says. He opens his fist and reveals a flash drive. “The agent says I can make my own decision after watching this.”

“Don’t watch it,” Jongup says, frowning. He wonders what the government could possibly show Junhong that would make him leave.

“Okay,” Junhong says, pocketing the flash drive, but Jongup catches doubt in his voice. He hopes he is just being paranoid.

In the most untimely way, Jongup is reminded that living with Junhong was only supposed to be temporary. If Junhong survives long enough, he’s going to be taken away anyways.

Jongup wonders if he can blackmail the government by losing his powers. The government depends on the Best Absolute Powers to maintain a peaceful world, and if Jongup does not get bonded, they are going to be taking a bit hit. The government would probably let Junhong stay if his powers depended on it. Bonding with Junhong is not even about keeping his powers anymore. He had not realized when his thinking shifted, but now it’s about keeping Junhong.

The only problem is whether Junhong wants it too. Jongup wishes he didn’t have to think.

 

*

 

Daehyun is Youngjae’s best friend. Therefore, meeting Daehyun shortly after meeting Youngjae is inevitable.

Jongup has never seen a friendship like Daehyun and Youngjae’s. It is full of relentless teasing, harassing, and bickering, yet they are so close they seem like one person. If they are apart for too long, it starts to feel like something is missing.

Even though Daehyun and Youngjae have known each other since they both first got to the Academy, actually probably because of that fact, they actually go through the most painful and arduous bonding experience. On average, Refinement takes a year. There are some that happen much more quickly, and then there are those like Daehyun and Youngjae’s that take the entirety of their adolescence. Jongup just remembers a lot of arguments and hurt feelings towards the end. He has never figured out how it ended up happening.

After Yongguk, Himchan, and Youngjae, Daehyun tries too hard to be a big brother to Jongup. Something about him being Youngjae’s roommate instantly attaches Daehyun to Jongup, and Jongup’s not sure if it is a good thing. Daehyun means well, but he is not very helpful. Jongup doesn’t know why he always ends up following Daehyun’s advice when it usually ends with his embarrassment. Maybe because Jongup can tell at the core Daehyun really cares, and he might care the most.

 

*

 

"Just kiss him."

Jongup stares blankly at Daehyun while his brain processes the words. "What?"

"Just kiss him," Daehyun repeats, turning his attention away from his burger and looking intently at Jongup.

"Who?" Jongup has a vague sinking feeling that Daehyun has just cornered him with a tactful hamburger bribe. He should’ve known that Daehyun had something up his sleeve when he said he was going to treat Jongup. Daehyun would never part with food under normal circumstances.

"Who else?" Daehyun still has not touched his burger from the time he started talking. That means he is completely serious. "Junhong."

It isn’t like Jongup could not guess that, he wanted to be sure. But—"Why?"

"You like him," Daehyun says matter-of-factly, going back to his burger.

Jongup can't deny that. He looks questioningly up at Daehyun. Thinking about it, he has seen less of Daehyun recently, and that usually happens when Daehyun is exercising his power.

"Before you say anything, no I didn't spy on you," Daehyun says as Jongup opens his mouth. "You've just been too preoccupied with Junhong to notice that everybody else notices."

"Oh." Jongup watches as a third of Daehyun's burger disappears in one bite. He takes a nibble out of his own. "How do I kiss him?" he asks when Daehyun swallows.

"Just kiss him."

Jongup does not think this is very helpful. He just keeps staring as Daehyun lifts his burger up for another bite. Daehyun notices and sighs as he puts his food down for the second time that meal.

"Like this." He stands up, reaches across the table to cup Jongup's face and pull it towards him. Jongup's reflexes beat his surprise and he pulls back as Daehyun's lips attack.

"I don't need you to show me," Jongup says, pushing Daehyun's face away with his hands. "Just...when? Where?” A whole slew of questions fill his mind. Slowly? Quickly? Softly? Forcefully? “What if he doesn't want to?"

Daehyun's eyes narrow as he grins. "So you've been thinking about it."

"I do think, you know." Jongup looks down uncomfortably. "Don't sound so surprised."

"I know," Daehyun says, his voice gentle. "We all know." Jongup looks back up at Daehyun, an unexpected warmth filling his chest. "Anyways, what I just showed you was possibly the worst you could do, and things still worked out with me and Youngjae.

Jongup's eyebrows shoot up involuntarily. He has never really talked to his hyungs about how they bonded. "You did that to Youngjae?"

"Yep, you should've seen the look on his face," Daehyun laughs. Jongup can see Youngjae's flustered face in his mind and joins him.

“And it worked?” Jongup’s laughing so hard he can barely breathe.

Daehyun can’t even talk, so he just nods.

"Thanks, Daehyunnie-hyung," Jongup says when he no longer has to gasp for air. "That was actually helpful."

"What do you mean actually?" Daehyun sniffs. "I'm always helpful."

That is highly doubtful, but Jongup's face settles into his usual smile. The one that's been missing lately.

"There's our Jonguppie," Daehyun says, patting Jongup's cheek. "Now hurry up and eat."

Jongup looks from his nearly untouched burger to the last of Daehyun's, quickly disappearing into that black hole of a mouth. He pinches his burger in half and hands half to Daehyun. "Thanks."

“That’s what family’s for,” Daehyun says, but he takes the burger with a smile anyways.

 

*

 

Jongup spends the majority of the day planning it all out in his head. He thinks of a thousand ways this could go wrong, and a thousand ways it could go more than right.

He has probably thought of every single scenario, but none could prepare him for this.

They had already prepared for sleep, and Jongup was on his bed playing on his DS, Junhong snug against his side and smelling clean like shampoo. Junhong was in one of his rare quiet spells, just watching the screen. Jongup had just defeated a gym leader when it happened.

“Jonguppie-hyung, I love you.”

It catches Jongup by surprise, and for once his reflexes do not work. He stares into Junhong’s fiercely determined face and does not do much else, DS left abandoned on his lap.

Junhong lets his eyes drop, but the determination is still burning in them. “It’s ok if you don’t feel the same way, but I want you to know, because I believe in having no regrets, and—”

Jongup’s brain and body are all out of synch, and he doesn’t even know which is lagging behind, maybe both are, but one finally catches up to the other and he does the most sensible thing he can think of. He cuts off Junhong with a kiss.

He closes his eyes, but they stay open just long enough after finding Junhong’s lips to catch Junhong widen his own eyes. It is a chaste kiss, soft and dry, but Jongup lingers before he pulls away. He barely has time to process what he has done when he feels a tickle on his arm. Junhong apparently feels the same thing and squeaks in surprise when a light starts to glow from their left wrists.

Slowly and symmetrically, a shining double helix grows out of each of their wrists, wrapping around their arms and going so far up it disappears into their shirt sleeves. Jongup takes off his shirt, and sees where it ends, curled right over his heart. 

Junhong places his hand over the pattern. Jongup’s heart is still beating a million times faster than normal from Junhong’s confession, but he no longer worries about what Junhong would think. Smiling, Junhong takes Jongup’s hand and puts it over his own matching mark. Jongup can feel Junhong’s heartbeat, and it’s going just as fast as his own.

Jongup knows what the mark means. “We’re soulbonded, Junhong,” he says, and he can’t suppress his smile.

“What’s soulbonding?” Junhong asks with his ever-present curiosity.

Jongup’s not too sure either, but he has a general idea. “I guess it means I belong to you and you belong to me.”

Junhong seems to like this idea. He closes his eyes and snuggles closer to Jongup. “So if I get lost or go…far away, you’ll always be able to find me?”

It seems like a weird question to ask, but Jongup knows he’ll do anything to find Junhong if that happens, so even if the soul chains are just markings, he answers, “yes.”

“Good.” Satisfied, Junhong buries his face into his favorite spot between Jongup’s shoulder and neck. “Good night, Jonguppie-hyung.”

Jongup rests his cheek on the top of Junhong’s head. “Good night, Junhong.”

_My soulmate_ , he adds in his head for good measure.

 

*

 

For the first time, Junhong’s nowhere to be seen when Jongup wakes up. He is too preoccupied by the memories of the previous night to be worried, though. Not bothering to get out of bed, he raises his left arm above his head, and watches as the intertwining silver strands branded on his arm catches the sunlight. He marvels at how pretty it is, and what it means. First of all it means he is in his final stage of Refinement and then he can finally get back to fighting evil with his team. But that’s secondary to him now when it also means that he and Junhong are bonded. 

Jongup lowers his arm and touches his lips. Electricity races up his spine as he recalls how Junhong’s lips felt on top of his. He wants to see Junhong, so badly. He rolls himself out of bed and puts on a long-sleeved shirt, hiding his mark. 

Everybody is in the common room when Jongup arrives—except for Junhong.

"Where's Junhong?" he asks. It's an innocent enough question, but the way everybody freezes for a moment causes a nauseating fear to rise up in Jongup's chest. Where is he?" Jongup asks again, trying to keep the accusatory tone out of his voice.

"He went home," Youngjae says tentatively. "He called the government agent himself."

Yongguk stands up and picks up a flash drive—the one Junhong got from the government agent—from the table besides him. "He left voluntarily this morning after watching the video on this."

Himchan pulls Yongguk back as he starts to walk it over to Jongup. "Are you sure he should see it?"

"It's up to him," Yongguk says, but Himchan frets anyways. Jongup takes the flash drive from Yongguk and plugs it into the projector.

A surveillance camera feed shows up, and Jongup realizes with a jolt that it's of his room. He knows there are security cameras throughout their facility, but he didn’t realize the government had been tapping into those feeds. On the screen, a figure, fuzzy but unmistakably Junhong, is lying on his bed. It looks like he's asleep.

But that’s wrong. The Junhong on the screen starts writhing and everything starts to shift. Jongup watches in horror as Junhong’s skin stretches and darkens, as black scales and feathers sprout out from all over his body. He wants to look away but can’t turn his eyes from the face that is elongating into a beak. He watches with morbid fascination as Junhong’s arms become the pair of terrifyingly beautiful wings he’s seen up close.

The video feed cuts off as Zelo struggles to get into open space, breaking the glass wall and escaping to the outside. Jongup knows what happens next. It is from the first time he figured out Junhong was the monster. He has known, yet having never seen it with his own eyes. He’s held on to the tiniest shred of hope that he was wrong. He even convinced himself he was wrong when he’d bonded. It was impossible to bond with something inhuman, wasn’t it?

Jongup takes a deep breath to steady himself, and trying his best to not let his voice break, he asks, “Why didn’t you tell me?”

“Junhong asked us not to tell you,” Yongguk says, stepping in. “He also left this for you.” Yongguk hands Jongup a small, flimsy piece of paper. He takes the note with shaking hands and reads it, over and over.

_Jonguppie-hyung, I’m sorry I didn’t tell you. I don’t want to hurt anybody, but if you told me to stay I wouldn’t have been able to leave. I love you. –Junhong._

“When did he leave?” Jongup asks when he finally forces his eyes away from the three little words that stir up inexplicable emotions inside of him.

“You’re not going after him,” Yongguk says, in the tone that meant no argument.

A tear drops onto the piece of paper in his hands. It blurs the letters, and Jongup folds it up before the rest of his tears ruin it. “Where is he?”

Himchan pulls him against his chest and pats his head. He tries pushing Himchan away, but he is weak right now and it is doing nothing. “Jonguppie,” Himchan says, trying to soothe him.

Jongup feels like he should be ashamed. All of the hyungs knew already, and he is the only one in the dark. He hasn’t cried in front of any of them, except for Yongguk, but that was when he was 5. He’s not normally like this. Normally nothing gets to him, but something about Junhong just shakes him up and he can’t help it. He stops his writhing against Himchan. “Where—”

_BEEP. BEEP. BEEP._  The alarms interrupt him. Yongguk hurries to the console and the screen pulls up a map. A red dot flashes in the center, and the intercom comes to life with static. “It’s escaped. Zelo’s escaped,” a panicked voice comes through the intercom.

“JUNHONG!” Jongup has never had need to raise his voice, but the scream that tears out of him sounds less like a human and more like a scared wild animal.

Himchan holds him tighter and muffles his shouts with his shoulder. Jongup considers biting him.

"Bring me with you." Jongup knows he is probably being a disgrace to his team right now, tears still streaming down his face and a little hysterical. He’s being disobedient and disrespectful, but he has to go. He struggles against Himchan's arms fruitlessly. He's just hurting himself.

"Jonguppie." Yongguk's voice is quiet and low. It's his serious voice. "Your powers are completely gone right now, and your emotions will only get in the way."

Jongup takes a deep breath and tries to make his voice stop shaking. "Roll up my left sleeve," he tells Himchan, as calmly as he can.

Himchan first looks apologetically to Jongup, then towards Yongguk for approval. Jongup looks back to Yongguk with pleading eyes. Yongguk is disciplined and stern, but he's not unreasonable. He nods.

Himchan releases Jongup and jerks up his sleeve. The mark from his bonding with Junhong glows silvery-white against the pale skin of his inner forearm and wraps around his bicep as Himchan continues rolling up his sleeve.

Yongguk takes his arm for a closer look. This is clearly not what he was expecting.

"This means he's completely human, doesn't it?" Jongup sees the momentary opening in Yongguk's conviction and seizes his chance. "This is proof, right?"

His eyes still wide and his fingers tracing out the pattern, Yongguk shakes his head. “Not just that.” He rolls up his own left sleeve and holds his forearm against Jongup's. They look the same. Jongup is momentarily confused, but it must be okay if Yongguk's pattern looks the same. "The helix only forms if both partners have powers," Yongguk explains.

Jongup frowns as this new piece of information unravels itself in his head. He’s still trying to stop hyperventilating and his head is spinning.

"Junhong has a super power," Yongguk continues. "But why hasn't it manifested?"

Everything comes rushing up at once. The sleep paralysis, the memory blackouts, the temperamental weather… "It has." Jongup remembers out loud. "Fifteen years ago."

All eyes are on Jongup now.

"I know what his power is." Jongup jumps up onto the airship. "We have to go now."

Yongguk throws out a mental link and Jongup catches it. He breathes in as he clears his mind of any hysteria and focuses on transmitting his newfound knowledge to Yongguk. In a moment, Yongguk nods and beckons everybody else to follow. "Strap in tight.”

“What’s going on?” Himchan catches Yongguk’s eye.

"We're going to save the world."

 

*

 

“Brief them, Jonguppie,” Yongguk says before he shuts himself into the cockpit.

“Me?” Jongup asks, but Yongguk has already closed the door. “Um.” He looks at the expectant faces of the others.

“You can do it, Jonguppie,” Daehyun says, nudging him encouragingly.

Jongup has no idea where to start. “Um, well, now that you all know…” Jongup turns his wrist up to reveal his soul chain again. “Junhong’s completely human, even though you saw that video.”

“You said he has a power.” Youngjae’s brow is furrowed in concentration. “That’s related to the video, right?”

“Yeah.” Jongup is grateful for the added input. It takes a lot of the pressure away. “Junhong became an orphan as a baby, around the same time Zelo appeared and disappeared. That’s his power, he sealed Zelo.”

“And the reason Zelo’s reappeared…” Daehyun says as he slowly puts together the pieces.

“…is because of fluctuations,” Youngjae finishes, his voice getting higher with excitement.

Jongup nods. “The thunderstorms and natural disaster stuff is from Zelo, too.”

“Oh no,” Himchan says, his pale face getting even paler. Everybody looks at him. “You guys just bonded.”

Jongup doesn’t understand, but by the glance Youngjae and Daehyun exchange, he bets it’s bad. “That’s when fluctuations are at their worst,” Youngjae says when he sees Jongup’s look of confusion. “Zelo’s going to be at his most powerful.”

“Basically it’s like the final test of your bond,” Daehyun adds. “If you pass, you get stabilization.”

“If I don’t?” Jongup gulps. He’s pretty sure he doesn’t want to even imagine not passing.

“It normally just means you both lose your powers.” Himchan looks at Jongup and holds his gaze. “But in your case, the world will be destroyed before that happens.”

Jongup laughs weakly. “So I guess I can’t fail then.”

“We’re not going to come up with a back-up plan,” Himchan says, as if there were no other choice. To Jongup, there  _is_  no other choice. “You’re getting Junhong back no matter what.”

“We’ll help,” Youngjae says, “but ultimately it’s up to you.”

“Your real power is right here.” Daehyun pats Junhong on his chest. “You’ve got this, Jonguppie.”

Jongup is about ready to break down again. He’s still scared of losing Junhong, but that’s not why. It’s the confidence his hyungs have in him, and it gives him confidence in himself. “Thanks,” is all he can manage. Anything more and he’d actually cry.

Just then, Yongguk probes them with his mind.  _You ready?_

Jongup surprises himself with the calmness with his answer.

_It’s now or never_.

 

*

 

The airship lands and Jongup jumps off the ship, Himchan following. Daehyun is already cloaked, twin swords in his hands, presumably behind them.

Zelo is in sight, a majestic terror against the backdrop of the storm. Suddenly, the ground jerks beneath them.  _It’s cooling the earth’s core and slowing the earth’s rotation_ , Youngjae informs them before they ask.  _If the earth stops rotating, our electromagnetic field and atmosphere are going to be stripped away and humanity’s toast. You have less than 15 minutes_.

_Oh, good. Fifteen minutes is plenty of time_ , Jongup tells himself.  _Let’s go_.

Yongguk’s airship takes off, and the three on the ground run towards the monster. When Zelo sights them, it lets out an ear-piercing shriek that cuts through the rain. Immediately, the rain stops, and Jongup has never seen anything so unnatural. The earth starts to rumble and it cracks open, and Jongup nearly falls into a chasm as it opens.

“What are those?” Himchan says, just as Jongup sees them. Out of the scarred ground, red-hot lava seeps out. Jongup stops moving as he watches the lava stand up until it towers over him. Jongup backs up, prepared to tackle it to the ground when Himchan grabs his wrist. “Don’t touch it.”

The lava monster lunges towards Jongup, but before he can dodge aside, its head rolls off and it melts back into the ground. Jongup exchanges a glance with Himchan and they both grin. “Thanks, Daehyunnie-hyung.”

Daehyun responds by sending two more lava heads flying. Jongup watches the lava harden into black rock for a few seconds before Yongguk’s voice is back in his head. _Daehyun’s got your back. Himchan, cover his front_.

Himchan hums in reply and his skin darkens as he covers himself with his heat-resistant skin armor. It slows him down, but he forges a path between Jongup and Zelo. 

Jongup pushes down the desire to help, even when he hears Daehyun hiss in pain as he gets burned by molten rock. His hyungs do their job and keep him unharmed, and soon Jongup’s close enough to Zelo to speak to it. “Junhong, can you hear me?” He feels Yongguk using him as a link to touch the monster’s consciousness.  _Junhong, are you there?_

The inside of the monster’s mind is vast and alien, and the only thing Jongup can feel coming from it is a desire to destroy. Zelo turns an eye on him and sweeps Himchan aside with a wing. Before Jongup can react, Zelo pins him down with a talon. Just as quickly, it jumps back with a screech as a silver ribbon of light shoots up from its chest to the tip of its wing. Jongup’s matching mark glows.

Jongup struggles back up to a standing position, bleeding from the places where his skin rubbed away on the ground. It’s hard for him to keep standing in front of Zelo while he’s being buffeted by the wind and the trembling ground. He grabs a hold of Yongguk’s mental connection to Zelo and probes deeper, looking for a trace of Junhong’s sleeping consciousness.  _Junhong!_

“Junhong!” he shouts out loud at the same time. Zelo staggers backwards a bit before bringing its head closer to Jongup. Taking a shaky breath to suppress his instinct to run away from the beak that could probably cut him in half, Jongup remains as still as he possibly can while it examines him. He can sense Yongguk ready to airlift him out, and he realizes how vulnerable he is.  _I’m okay_ , he tells Yongguk.

“Junhong,” he calls again. “Junhong, Junhong-ah.” The eye focused on Jongup dilates and contracts a little every time he says the name. Every fiber of his being wants to run away, but seeing the response roots him there. He holds out the arm with the glowing mark facing up, so that it reflects off the shiny, black eye. “Junhong, do you remember this?”

Zelo brings its head a little closer, so close that Jongup can touch the beak if he reaches out just a little more. He stays still. “Remember what you said when this happened, Junhong? You told me you loved me.” He’s still inside the monster’s mind, searching, and in the midst of the alien mind, he finds something familiar to latch onto.

“I never said it out loud,” Jongup says, staring into the round eye, “but Junhong-ah, I love you too.”

The monster stops freezes, and Jongup feels the familiar consciousness stir. Holding his breath, Jongup feels this is the right time to reach out and place his hand on Zelo’s beak. It jerks back, but Jongup can sense Junhong’s mind jolt awake with his touch.  _Come on, Junhongie, you can do it_ , he encourages the faint consciousness.

Zelo screeches again as it shakes its head, stumbling back and forth. It seems to have lost interest in the outside world and turned inside itself to fight an internal battle. _Where am I?_  Junhong’s tiny, scared voice comes through.

“Junhong!” Jongup can’t contain his excitement, even though it might frighten Junhong some more. “Junhong, I need you to trust me, okay?”

_Jonguppie-hyung?_  Junhong sounds marginally less scared.

“Yes, I’m here,” Jongup says, trying to make his voice more reassuring. “This will sound crazy, so you’ve got to trust me on this, but you have a superpower and you’re inside Zelo right now.”

There’s a silence, and Jongup’s afraid he’s lost Junhong to the monster for a moment.  _Okay_ , Junhong finally says.

“Okay,” Jongup echoes. “Your superpower is to control it, you’re in control, alright?”

_I can’t_ , Junhong says, panic rising in his voice.

“Junhong.” Jongup isn’t scared anymore. “Remember how quickly you learned how to dance? You’re the best improviser I know.”

Jongup feels immense concentration start to come from the mixed consciousness, and it feels more and more like Junhong’s.  _Hyung, can you touch me one more time?_

Zelo is still thrashing about on the ground, and there seems to be a high chance of getting accidentally stabbed or knocked away in approaching it, but Jongup feels like he can do anything right now. He slips underneath the wings, dodges its feet, and makes a jump for the neck.

Almost as instantly as Jongup touches it, Zelo freezes.  _I think I got it_ , Junhong says, and Jongup can practically hear him beaming.

Jongup swings himself over to sit on top of Zelo’s back, and squeezes the monster’s neck in a tight hug. “I knew you could do it,” he says into the scales.

Zelo chokes a bit, and Jongup realizes he’s squeezing too hard; his powers have returned. Before he can be excited about it, Youngjae interrupts them.  _The core hasn’t stopped cooling, I think you have to reverse it_.

_How?_  Junhong seems unsure of even how to walk in Zelo’s body.

_Think of something hot?_  Youngjae says, just as unsure.

Jongup blushes as an image of his body flashes through everybody’s mind. He’s really glad he’s wearing pants in it.  _Not that kind of hot_ , Youngjae says, amused to no end. 

_AHEM_. The image fades away as Yongguk sets them back on track.

_You know something really hot?_  Daehyun’s voice comes through, and it sounds like he’s running out of stamina.  _These lava things_.

_Yeah, there are too many of them_ , Himchan adds. He sounds tired too. Jongup had forgotten that they were still fighting.

“Try sending them back,” Jongup says, and Junhong nods the monster’s head. Jongup nearly falls off when the monster screeches again. For a moment, Jongup wonders if Junhong lost control, but the lava start receding back into the cracks in the earth. As they go back, the ground re-seals itself.

_Sorry_ , Junhong says sheepishly.  _I tried to talk and that’s how it came out_.

_Don’t be sorry_ , Youngjae’s voice is in their heads again.  _It worked_.

With the lava monsters gone, and Zelo under control, Yongguk lands the airship. Daehyun materializes from thin air, and Himchan releases his armor.  _How do I turn back?_ Junhong asks, quiet and nervous that it’s a dumb question.

“I think you return when Zelo gets knocked out,” Jongup says, remembering the first time they discovered him as well as their last encounter. Junhong makes an unsatisfied noise. “I think you can just put it to sleep though.”

Junhong closes Zelo’s eyes, and thankfully, he starts to shrink, until he’s a boy again. He opens his eyes tentatively, and immediately breaks into a wide grin when he sees Jongup through his normal eyes. He throws his arms around Jongup, and Jongup kisses his smile.

“I did good, didn’t I?” Junhong says when he finally lets go of Jongup.

“You did  _well_ ,” Yongguk says, correcting Junhong’s grammar. He pauses. “I suppose you did good, too,” he amends, and the corner of his mouth raises, dimpling his cheek.

Junhong grins some more, and then lets out a huge yawn. He rubs at his eyes. “I’m so  _tired_.”

“I guess we have to get you back home, then,” Himchan says, slinging an arm around Junhong’s shoulders.

“Home?” Junhong looks at them with wide eyes, starting to panic.

“Yeah, that’s what we call base,” Youngjae says, taking as much amusement in Junhong’s confusion as he can.

“And seeing as you’re part of the team now, it’s your home too.” Daehyun attempts to hold in his own grin as Junhong processes the information. Suddenly, he doesn’t look so tired anymore.

Junhong jumps up and down all the way up the ramp into the airship, but it turns out he is tired. As soon as he takes a seat, he lays his head down on Jongup’s shoulder and dozes off. Jongup is looking down fondly at the now familiar sleeping face when someone squeezes his shoulder.

_You were great_. Jongup looks up and Yongguk smiles at him. Jongup’s chest expands, and he thinks about all the trust his hyungs gave him with the job. He thinks about his super strength, how he thought it was boring, and how they taught him it wasn’t. He looks back at Junhong, smiling as he thinks of how Junhong taught him his most important lesson:

Jongup’s true strength is in his heart.

  
  


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it is DONE, I don't understand how people write so much, I could barely keep track of this thing @_@ this time, thanks to e for helping me nail down this plot that was too big for my brain, and c + j, the best betas without whom this fic would make a lot less sense ♥  
  
THANK YOU FOR READING, [here](http://24.media.tumblr.com/6aff2ae28362a834240d0fd4fca2ea31/tumblr_mjozpfnNwj1s12bf6o1_500.gif) [are](http://31.media.tumblr.com/e4a2b1d2c155e76bdddd1c299e85d511/tumblr_mq35ayEuPh1rnjtivo1_500.gif) [my](http://25.media.tumblr.com/af98277b1d95722bf5206fd832c0ef36/tumblr_mp254eS0p01r98r4io3_500.gif) [inspiration](http://media.tumblr.com/tumblr_mdu6wfjGSi1r103wu.gif) [gifs](http://31.media.tumblr.com/b94bda2e449b67a2943ee15cce5e9d34/tumblr_mqb418AnSy1s5bikto1_500.gif) (I had them open the entire time I was writing) ♥


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